What does "but" mean?
An instance of using the word "but"; an objection or caveat.
But
/bʌt/ adv, conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang
adv, conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An instance of using the word "but"; an objection or caveat.
- Grammar: but is listed as adv, conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abbur, after all, again, albeit.
- Useful contrasts: conceptual category, educational pond ecosystem, presidential and congressional elections.
- Usage evidence: I may be antisocial, but it doesn't mean I don't talk to people.
How to use "but"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "but" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "but" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "but" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "but" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "but" is acting as adv, conj, name, noun, prep, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abbur" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "but", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An instance of using the word "but"; an objection or caveat.
"It has to be done—no ifs, ands, or buts."
- 2 The outer room of a small two-room cottage. Scotland
- 3 A limit; a boundary.
- 4 The end; especially the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end; the butt.
Verb
- 1 Use the word "but". archaic
"But me no buts."
Adverb
- 1 Merely, only, just, no more than literary, not-comparable, poetic
"Christmas comes but once a year, so we can but wait till then."
- 2 Though, however. Australia, Geordie, Scotland, conjunctive, not-comparable
"I'll have to go home early but."
Adverb
- 1 and nothing more wordnet
Preposition
- 1 Apart from, except (for), excluding.
"Everyone but Father left early."
- 2 Outside of.
"Away but the hoose and tell me whae's there."
Conjunction
- 1 However, although, nevertheless, on the other hand (introducing a clause contrary to prior belief or in contrast with the preceding clause or sentence).
"She is very old but still attractive."
- 2 On the contrary, rather (as a regular adversative conjunction, introducing a word or clause in contrast or contradiction with the preceding negative clause or sentence).
"I am not rich but [I am] poor. Not John but Peter went there."
- 3 Used at the beginning of a sentence to express opposition to a remark. colloquial
"But I never said you could do that!"
- 4 Except that (introducing a subordinate clause which qualifies a negative statement); also, (archaic) with omission of the subject of the subordinate clause, acting as a negative relative, "except one that", "except such that".
"I cannot but feel offended."
- 5 Used to link an interjection to the following remark as an intensifier. colloquial
"Wow! But that's amazing!"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Without it also being the case that; unless that (introducing a necessary concomitant). archaic
"It never rains but it pours"
- 7 Except with; unless with; without. obsolete
"This man unable to manage his own happineſſe, grew ſo inſolent that he could not go, but either ſpurning his equals, or trampling on his inferiours."
- 8 Only; solely; merely. obsolete
"Observe but how their own principles combat one another."
- 9 Until. obsolete
"'Tshall not be long but I'll be here again."
- 10 That. obsolete
"It is not impossible but next year I may have the honour of waiting on your Lordship at St. Asaph, If I go to Ireland I certainly will go that way."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I may be antisocial, but it doesn't mean I don't talk to people."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "but"?
Common synonyms include: abbur, after all, again, albeit, all the same, alone.
How do you use "but" in a sentence?
I may be antisocial, but it doesn't mean I don't talk to people.
How do you pronounce "but"?
Pronounced /bʌt/.
Etymology
From Middle English but, buten, boute, bouten, from Old English būtan (“without, outside of, except, only”), from Proto-West Germanic *biūtan, *biūtini, equivalent to be- + out. Cognate with Scots but, bot (“outside, without, but”), Saterland Frisian buute (“without”), West Frisian bûten (“outside of, apart from, other than, except, but”), Dutch buiten (“outside”), Dutch Low Saxon buten (“outside”), German Low German buuten, buute (“outside”), obsolete German baußen (“outside”), Luxembourgish baussen. Compare bin, about.